An-Naml: 49

Ayah

Word by Word

قَالُواْ

They said

تَقَاسَمُواْ

Swear to each other

بِٱللَّهِ

by Allah

لَنُبَيِّتَنَّهُۥ

surely we will attack him by night

وَأَهۡلَهُۥ

and his family

ثُمَّ

Then

لَنَقُولَنَّ

we will surely say

لِوَلِيِّهِۦ

to his heir

مَا

Not

شَهِدۡنَا

we witnessed

مَهۡلِكَ

(the) destruction

أَهۡلِهِۦ

(of) his family

وَإِنَّا

and indeed we

لَصَٰدِقُونَ

(are) surely truthful."

Translation

They said: "Swear a mutual oath by Allah that we shall make a secret night attack on him and his people, and that we shall then say to his heir (when he seeks vengeance): 'We were not present at the slaughter of his people, and we are positively telling the truth.'"

Tafsir

Salih and Thamud

Allah tells:

وَلَقَدۡ أَرۡسَلۡنَا إِلَى ثَمُودَ أَخَاهُمۡ صَالِحًا أَنِ اعۡبُدُوا اللَّهَ

And indeed We sent to Thamud their brother Salih, (saying):Worship Allah.

Allah tells us about Thamud and how they responded to their Prophet Salih, when Allah sent him to call them to worship Allah alone, with no partner or associate.

فَإِذَا هُمۡ فَرِيقَانِ يَخۡتَصِمُونَ

Then look! They became two parties quarreling with each other.

Mujahid said,

These were believers and disbelievers.

This is like the Ayah,

قَالَ الۡمَلَ الَّذِينَ اسۡتَكۡبَرُواۡ مِن قَوۡمِهِ لِلَّذِينَ اسۡتُضۡعِفُواۡ لِمَنۡ ءامَنَ مِنۡهُمۡ أَتَعۡلَمُونَ أَنَّ صَـلِحاً مُّرۡسَلٌ مّن رَّبّهِ قَالُواۡ إِنَّا بِمَأ أُرۡسِلَ بِهِ مُوۡمِنُونَ

قَالَ الَّذِينَ اسۡتَكۡبَرُواۡ إِنَّا بِالَّذِى ءامَنتُمۡ بِهِ كَـفِرُونَ

The leaders of those who were arrogant among his people said to those who were counted weak -- to such of them as believed:Know you that Salih is one sent from his Lord.

They said:We indeed believe in that with which he has been sent.

Those who were arrogant said:Verily, we disbelieve in that which you believe in. (7:75-76

قَالَ يَا قَوۡمِ لِمَ تَسۡتَعۡجِلُونَ بِالسَّيِّيَةِ قَبۡلَ الۡحَسَنَةِ

He said:O my people! Why do you seek to hasten the evil before the good!

meaning, `why are you praying for the punishment to come, and not asking Allah for His mercy!'

Then he said:

لَوۡلَا تَسۡتَغۡفِرُونَ اللَّهَ لَعَلَّكُمۡ تُرۡحَمُونَ

قَالُوا اطَّيَّرۡنَا بِكَ وَبِمَن مَّعَكَ

Why seek you not the forgiveness of Allah, that you may receive mercy!

They said:We augur an omen from you and those with you.

This means:We do not see any good in your face and the faces of those who are following you.

Since they were doomed, whenever anything bad happened to any of them they would say, This is because of Salih and his companions.

Mujahid said,

They regarded them as bad omens.

This is similar to what Allah said about the people of Fir`awn:

فَإِذَا جَأءَتۡهُمُ الۡحَسَنَةُ قَالُواۡ لَنَا هَـذِهِ وَإِن تُصِبۡهُمۡ سَيِّيَةٌ يَطَّيَّرُواۡ بِمُوسَى وَمَن مَّعَهُ

But whenever good came to them, they said:Ours is this. And if evil afflicted them, they ﷺ it as an omen about Musa and those with him. (7:131)

And Allah says:

وَإِن تُصِبۡهُمۡ حَسَنَةٌ يَقُولُواۡ هَـذِهِ مِنۡ عِندِ اللَّهِ وَإِن تُصِبۡهُمۡ سَيِّيَةٌ يَقُولُواۡ هَـذِهِ مِنۡ عِندِكَ قُلۡ كُلٌّ مِّنۡ عِندِ اللَّهِ

And if some good reaches them, they say, This is from Allah, but if some evil befalls them, they say, This is from you.

Say:All things are from Allah. (4:78)

i.e., by virtue of His will and decree.

And Allah tells us about the dwellers of the town, when the Messengers came to them:

قَالُواۡ إِنَّا تَطَيَّرۡنَا بِكُمۡ لَيِن لَّمۡ تَنتَهُواۡ لَنَرۡجُمَنَّكُمۡ وَلَيَمَسَّنَّكُمۡ مِّنَّا عَذَابٌ أَلِيمٌ

قَالُواۡ طَـيِرُكُم مَّعَكُمۡ

They (people) said:For us, we see an omen from you; if you cease not, we will surely stone you, and a painful torment will touch you from us.

They (Messengers) said:Your omens are with yourselves! (36:18)

And these people (Thamud) said:

اطَّيَّرۡنَا بِكَ وَبِمَن مَّعَكَ قَالَ طَايِرُكُمۡ عِندَ اللَّهِ

We augur an omen from you and those with you.

He said:Your omen is of Allah;

meaning, Allah will punish you for that.

بَلۡ أَنتُمۡ قَوۡمٌ تُفۡتَنُونَ

nay, but you are a people that are being tested.

Qatadah said:

You are being tested to see whether you will obey or disobey.

The apparent meaning of the phrase

تُفۡتَنُونَ

(are being tested) is:

you will be left to get carried away in your state of misguidance

The Plot of the Mischief-Makers and the End of the People of Thamud

Allah tells us about the evildoers of Thamud and their leaders who used to call their people to misguidance and disbelief, and to deny Salih. Eventually they killed the she-camel and were about to kill Salih too. They plotted to let him sleep with his family at night, then they would assassinate him and tell his relatives that they knew nothing about what happened to him, and that they were telling the truth because none of them had seen anything.

Allah says:

وَكَانَ فِي الۡمَدِينَةِ

And there were in the city,

meaning, in the city of Thamud,

تِسۡعَةُ رَهۡطٍ

nine Raht,

meaning, nine people,

يُفۡسِدُونَ فِي الاَۡرۡضِ وَلَا يُصۡلِحُونَ

who made mischief in the land, and would not reform.

They forced their opinions on the people of Thamud, because they were the leaders and chiefs.

Al-`Awfi reported that Ibn Abbas said:

These were the people who killed the she-camel,

Meaning, that happened upon their instigation, may Allah curse them.

Allah says:

فَنَادَوۡاۡ صَـحِبَهُمۡ فَتَعَاطَى فَعَقَرَ

But they called their comrade and he took (a sword) and killed (the she-camel). (54:29)

إِذِ انبَعَثَ أَشۡقَـهَا

When the most wicked man among them went forth (to kill the she-camel). (91:12)

Abdur-Razzaq said that Yahya bin Rabi`ah As-San`ani told them,

I heard `Ata' -- i.e. Ibn Abi Rabah -- say:

وَكَانَ فِي الۡمَدِينَةِ

تِسۡعَةُ رَهۡطٍ يُفۡسِدُونَ فِي الاَۡرۡضِ وَلَا يُصۡلِحُونَ

(And there were in the city nine Raht, who made mischief in the land, and would not reform),

`They used to break silver coins.'

They would break off pieces from them, as if they used to trade with them in terms of numbers (as opposed to weight), as the Arabs used to do.

Imam Malik narrated from Yahya bin Sa`id that Sa`id bin Al-Musayyib said:

Cutting gold and silver (coins) is part of spreading corruption on earth.

What is meant is that the nature of these evil disbelievers was to spread corruption on earth by every means possible, one of which was that mentioned by these Imams

قَالُوا تَقَاسَمُوا بِاللَّهِ لَنُبَيِّتَنَّهُ وَأَهۡلَهُ

They said:Swear one to another by Allah that we shall make a secret night attack on him and his household...

They took a mutual oath, pledging that during the night, whoever met the Allah's Prophet Salih, peace be upon him, he would assassinate him.

ثُمَّ لَنَقُولَنَّ لِوَلِيِّهِ مَا شَهِدۡنَا مَهۡلِكَ أَهۡلِهِ وَإِنَّا لَصَادِقُونَ

and thereafter we will surely say to his near relatives:`We witnessed not the destruction of his household, and verily, we are telling the truth.'

But Allah planned against them and caused their plot to backfire.

Mujahid said,

They took a mutual oath pledging to kill him, but before they could reach him, they and their people were all destroyed.

Abdur-Rahman bin Abi Hatim said:

When they killed the she-camel, Salih said to them:

تَمَتَّعُواۡ فِى دَارِكُمۡ ثَلَـثَةَ أَيَّامٍ ذلِكَ وَعۡدٌ غَيۡرُ مَكۡذُوبٍ

Enjoy yourselves in your homes for three days. This is a promise (i.e., a threat) that will not be belied. (11:65)

They said:`Salih claims that he will finish with us in three days, but we will finish him and his family before the three days are over.'

Salih had a place of worship in a rocky tract in a valley, where he used to pray. So they set out to go to a cave there one night, and said, `When he comes to pray, we will kill him, then we will return. When we have finished him off, we will go to his family and finish them off too.'

Then Allah sent down a rock upon them from the mountains round about; they feared that it would crush them, so they ran into the cave and the rock covered the mouth of the cave while they were inside.

Their people did not know where they were or what had happened to them. So Allah punished some of them here, and some of them there, and He saved Salih and the people who were with him.

Then he recited:

وَمَكَرُوا مَكۡرًا وَمَكَرۡنَا مَكۡرًا وَهُمۡ لَا يَشۡعُرُونَ

فَانظُرۡ كَيۡفَ كَانَ عَاقِبَةُ مَكۡرِهِمۡ أَنَّا دَمَّرۡنَاهُمۡ وَقَوۡمَهُمۡ أَجۡمَعِينَ

فَتِلۡكَ بُيُوتُهُمۡ خَاوِيَةً

So, they plotted a plot, and We planned a plan, while they perceived not. Then see how was the end of their plot! Verily, We destroyed them and their nation, all together. These are their houses in utter ruin,

i.e., deserted.

بِمَا ظَلَمُوا إِنَّ فِي ذَلِكَ لَايَةً لِّقَوۡمٍ يَعۡلَمُونَ

وَأَنجَيۡنَا الَّذِينَ امَنُوا وَكَانُوا يَتَّقُونَ

for they did wrong. Verily, in this is indeed an Ayah for people who know. And We saved those who believed, and had Taqwa of Allah.